Book ASMR | Blind Date With A Book | Whispering/Tapping

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Page Turning ASMR | Halloween Craft Book Collection

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ASMR | Page Turning ASMR | Guillermo del Toro Book Collection | No Talking

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"The Complete Phantom of the Opera" Book Review

The Complete Phantom of the Opera by George Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"This is the lavishly illustrated, definitive account of 'The Phantom of the Opera', tracing the Phantom legend from its origins in historical fact through Gaston Leroux's heartrending classic novel and other artistic incarnations to the present day and Andrew Lloyd Webber's incredibly successful musical."

More of a 4.5 rating. This book offers a glimpse into the past of the Phantom. Mainly delving into the origins of the Paris Opera House and the mad genius of its architect Charles Garnier, the interesting life of the Phantom's maker, Gaston Leroux, and how the compelling story went from book to silver screen and to the theatre where it reins to this day.

I loved learning all of the little details about the most singular Opera House. Indeed, it doesn't hold the biggest auditorium and has limited seating, but it is the largest in the world. What a grand setting! How could Leroux go there and not create such a fantastic story. They shouldn't have replaced the ceiling covers though, the 'new' one looks out of place here.

I find Gaston Leroux a fascinating man in his own write. Not so much his career as a writer, since most start out as journalists. But more so for the little tidbits about him. Like the fact that he was born in an undertaker's business complete with his own dramatic quote about his birth: "There, where I sought a cradle, I found a coffin."

Some of the pictures were lovely. It was wonderful to see the makeup transformation up close and the sketches of the clothes and costumes and wigs. I would totally kill to have one of Maria Bjornson's models of the set. I could probably make one but damn they're beautiful!

It was also nice to find out more about the people who helped create the show behind the scenes. I was really surprised that so many people came from the opera, but I guess that should have been obvious. "Phantom of the ...oh, what was it?"

I really liked that the libretto was included. The differences between the stage version and recent movie version might confuse some other people, but I enjoyed reading it and looking for the differences. It was much easier to read this one than to stare at the one provided with the original cast recording. It's always fun to be able to read the correct lyrics or just to see what all of the characters have to say during the really big numbers. In the 2004 movie, some parts get drowned out.

Overall, a very enjoyable book and worthy of a phan's collection.

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4.5 out of 5 Angels of Music.

"Short Story: Career Day" Review

I Hunt Killers - Free Preview (The First 10 Chapters): with Bonus Prequel Short Story "Career Day" by Barry Lyga
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"ENJOY AN EXTENDED PREVIEW [The First 10 Chapters] OF THIS ANTICIPATED NOVEL!

"Jazz is a likable teenager. A charmer, some might say.

"But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, "Take Your Son to Work Day" was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could-from the criminal's point of view.

"And now, even though Dad has been in jail for years, bodies are piling up in the sleepy town of Lobo's Nod. Again.

"In an effort to prove murder doesn't run in the family, Jazz joins the police in the hunt for this new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret-could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

"Also included: a 3,000 word short-story prequel CAREER DAY!

"When your dad is a serial killer, things like Career Day don't go over so well. While classmates might be looking forward to joining the family business, Jazz knows he needs to find a new path in this original short story by Barry Lyga."

I actually enjoyed this short story quite a bit. I do wonder if it could've been added to the preface of the book "I Hunt Killers", but I think it's better that you know the characters first. A few surprises are in here: Howie's a lot more charming and funny this time, you read about how Jazz got his nickname and how he started going out with Connie. All very interesting.

You can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/IHuntKillers....

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"I Hunt Killers" Book Review

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

"Jasper 'Jazz' Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

"But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.

"And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

"In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?"

Let me start this review by saying I was originally attracted to this book because of its cover. It is awesome! The book jacket was very eye-catching, but I was more interested in the book itself: that really caught me off guard, but it looks really cool.

I saw a friend of mine reading this book on Goodreads and thought I would give it a try.

I've never read "Dexter", but I imagine if I compared the two books together, this one would be the younger brother version.

But, also, wow. Loved this book. It was fast and an interesting take on sociopaths - whether they're born that way or nurtured into becoming that way!

I really felt for Jazz, too. It was pretty cool to watch a possible sociopath use people but not to damage them, like his father. And Billy was just so much of a threat.

Even though I loved it, I can't give it 5 stars because Howie's character was a bit of the usual, silly best friend (which is a character I usually hate, but thankfully Lyga gave Howie some smarts and actually funny things to do and say and also made him matter to the story). Although I bet in the sequel he has some more growth to him.

Also, I knew who the Impressionist was way too soon, but the twist at the end totally made up for that.

A few warnings: It is a teeny bit gory (which doesn't stop me) but I know some people are squeamish, so beware. Also, the next book in the series, called "Jasper Dent", isn't out until April 2013 and it has the provoking but unrevealing title of "Game".

I can't believe I have to wait so long to find out how the story goes on!

Got picture here: On A Book Bender Blog.

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I was so inspired, I drew a comic:

"The Midnight Palace" Book Review

The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"In the heart of Calcutta lurks a dark mystery. . . .

"Set in Calcutta in the 1930s, The Midnight Palace begins on a dark night when an English lieutenant fights to save newborn twins Ben and Sheere from an unthinkable threat. Despite monsoon-force rains and terrible danger lurking around every street corner, the young lieutenant manages to get them to safety, but not without losing his own life. . . .

"Years later, on the eve of Ben and Sheere’s sixteenth birthday, the mysterious threat reenters their lives. This time, it may be impossible to escape. With the help of their brave friends, the twins will have to take a stand against the terror that watches them in the shadows of the night—and face the most frightening creature in the history of the City of Palaces."

This was good, but "The Prince of Mist" was better as far as Mr. Carlos Ruiz Zafon's young adult fiction is concerned.

*SPOILERS* Read at your own discretion.

I feel as if the characters had different traits at each end of the book. Take for instance, Ian: in the beginning of the story he's regarded as a scared and wimpy person, the last person to take a risk "and therefore more likely to survive". But by the end of the book, he's the first to try to suck snake venom out of someone's arm, the one the group of friends (called the Chowdar Society) calls upon to talk to Ben, and the one who is trying to become a doctor, which is not for the weak of heart or stomach. And then the Aryami Bose character was the most cowardly of all. She's mentioned at the beginning of the book as this powerful sorcerous in the heart of the Black City part of Calcutta, but when it came time to prove her worth against this monster, she runs, leaving one twin all by himself at an orphanage.

Another problem I had, was when Jawahal wants to take over his own daughter's body to keep existing. "Your lips will be my lips." Ewwww. That whole part was very incestuous. And then in the beginning of the book, Ben is flirting with Sheere. I realize he didn't know that they were twins, but still kind of disturbing on the part of the author. About as bad as George Lucas, come to think of it.

I feel like some parts could have been explained better. Like the part about how Jawahal couldn't kill Ben outright and had to trick him into doing it. And why Jawahal was so powerful. He was like an insane ghost that attached itself to a machine???

Very confused. But I know this one is for kids. I still enjoyed it, just not as fond of it as his other work. Looking forward to more "Cemetery of Forgotten Books" stories and "The Watcher in the Shadows" which comes out in Spring 2013. It looks good!


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Typeface Review: "Beast Wars"

What It Looks Like: 

Its History: Created by Neale Davidson (source below), "Beast Wars" is best used on posters and other mediums where large print is acceptable.

What Type of Font Is It: Ornamental: "the form of the letter itself is determined by some decorative or figurative intention. The Ornamental form may thus be composed of foliage, rustic woodwork, the human form, or abstract elements. The majority of Ornamental faces from the 19th century are capital only, and necessarily designed for use at larger sizes." (Source below.)

How Can You Design With It: Best used on posters, in this particular case for anything that is fun, thrilling, or excitable, such as thrill rides at an amusement park, horror movies, or a rock band.

Where You Can Get It: It's a free download at

http://www.urbanfonts.com/fonts/Beast_Wars.htm or 

http://www.fontshark.com/font/Beast-Wars-233.html.

Descriptive Terms For It: ornamental, thrilling, all-caps, exciting, horror, poster, fun, Capital Only, loud, in your face.

Sources: http://www.fontshark.com/font/Beast-Wars-233.html and "The Complete Typographer: A Manual for Designing with Type" by Will Hill, 2nd Edition, p. 160.

Examples:

A very similar font in use, ironically, for the name of the typeface itself.
Picture taken from here.

"I Am Legend" Book Review

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Though it was a good story and a very interesting scientific look at the legend of vampires, I'm wondering how they made a movie out of it. Unless they changed it a lot, which sometimes studios do, it's just him barricaded in his house and being grumpy. It was a very good ending though, I didn't see it coming.

"Dance of the Dead", another short story in this collection, is nearly as bad as the movie version, starring Robert Englund. He's an incredibly underrated actor, but even he could not make that movie worth the time to watch it (again). I just couldn't give a crap about any of the characters and there wasn't enough backstory. I'm one of those people who love exposition in a book. Provided it doesn't go on for a hundred pages.

"Mad House" was disturbing and I can see how Matheson influenced Stephen King. "The Funeral" was funny, but I'm still wondering if that was Chthulu or not. In "Person to Person," that guy was a bitch, but it's still a shame he lost his mind.


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"The Woman in Black" Book Review

The Woman in Black (Movie Tie-in Edition): A Ghost Story by Susan Hill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

SPOILER ALERT!!! Read at your own transgression.

I enjoyed this book; it was a very fast read. In comparison to Stephen King and others like him, it was scary but not scary enough. Although the incidents that happened in this book are more like an actual haunting. Not a whole lot happened but it was still kind of spooky.

In comparison to the movie version, it was slightly more informative about certain characters but I think the movie was better. There was more heartbreak in the movie. I think the movie's ending was better, because Mr. Arthur Kipps was with his family then. At the end of the book he watched his family get killed.

I still feel the same way about the ghost though: she is a bitch. An unforgivable bitch. You could feel sorry for her a bit but then all those kids died and Kipps lost his family and it was like "no, I don't feel sorry for you anymore."


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"Ghost Brothers of Darkland County" News

News for fans of music producer T Bone Burnett, horror novelist Stephen King, and musician John Mellencamp: their southern-style gothic tale musical "Ghost Brothers of Darkland County" is hitting the stage in Atlanta.

Official production synopsis: "In the tiny town of Lake Belle Reve, Mississippi in 1967, a terrible tragedy took the lives of two brothers and a beautiful young girl. During the next forty years, the events of that night became the stuff of local legend. But legend is often just another word for lie. Joe McCandless knows what really happened; he saw it all. The question is whether or not he can bring himself to tell the truth in time to save his own troubled sons, and whether the ghosts left behind by an act of violence will help him – or tear the McCandless family apart forever."(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Brothers_of_Darkland_County)


Mr. Mellencamp has said about the story: "[It's about] two brothers; they're 19 years old or 20, maybe 18 or 21, who are very competitive and dislike each other immensely. The father takes them to the family vacation place, a cabin that the boys hadn't been to since they were kids. What has happened is that the father had two older brothers who hated each other and killed each other in that cabin. There's a confederacy of ghosts who also live in this house. The older [dead] brothers are there, and they speak to the audience, and they sing to the audience. That's all I want to say, except through this family vacation, many things are learned about the family, and many interesting songs are sung." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Brothers_of_Darkland_County)


I mentioned T Bone Burnett before when I wrote an entry not too long ago about Sir Elton John and Leon Russell's album "The Union." Mr. Burnett produced that album and he has produced many of John Mellencamp's albums which is why he is part of this most recent collaboration with him.

I haven't mentioned the King yet in my blog, for which I am sorry because his books are amazingly terrifying. I always thought his work would translate well to the stage (provided who's doing the telling - "Carrie the Musical" anyone?)

It even stars Justin Guarini who some of you may remember as the first runner-up in the very first season of "American Idol" - the one that songstress Kelly Clarkson won. Anyway, I had a huge crush on him back in the day (even loved his afro!) and he is amazingly talented so this could be a great place for him to show them off. I'm so glad he's still around, even if its sorda under the radar.

I hope there is an album of a live recording of this musical. There's supposed to be one made later this year. I would love to hear it. Maybe it'll even hit Broadway and I might be able to see it!

Until then I'll make do with the storyline and a few song titles mentioned in this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/theater/stephen-king-and-john-mellencamps-ghost-brothers-musical.html?_r=4&hpw